I love the idea of a Mulan retelling, and this one shifts from what most remember of Mulan, the Disney movie, into a far more detailed and wonderful story of a woman and her choice.

This is one of those fantasy stories that are just so enjoyable to sit back and relax with as you weave through the authors design. They have clear passion for this story and it shows. Very eager to jump into the second book!

DNF - end of Chapter 17

I gave this over half the book. I really wanted to like this, the concept sounded up my alley. However, I absolutely hate when adult characters read like immature teenagers, and for such a 'trigger heavy' story, it reads like YA, which just really set the tone to give a fanfic vibe. A huge issue I have, especially in the romance genre, is that a lot of these stories are reading like poorly edited fanfics turned book deal. It's becoming absolutely dull to read books like this.

DNF - Chapter two

I was not enjoying the style of writing for this novel, but I did decide I would try to at least get 20 or so percent through before I DNF'ed. Sometimes, the stylistic choices of authors grow on me as the story finds its footing.

However, I changed my mind and DNF'ed at chapter two due to the usage of a slur, and the way the author is presenting Appalachia in a disparaging way. I did check, and this author is not from the Appalachian area, and seems to have, at some point in their life, moved to the Carolinas, which hardly gives a true view of Appalachia. This makes her book read as if she is using the area and the people as a poor vehicle for their just as poor views.

I’m not down to read some man’s misogynistic torture fantasies

I have such mixed feeling on this one. I will, admittedly, read anything Reylo inspired. This was a cute read, and yes it did keep me interested throughout for the most part, but the relationship happened so quickly for such a long book. Due to that, a lot of the drama and issues throughout really showed this was a fanfic turned novel. I feel like anyone who enjoys fanfics will see quickly how each chapter felt very much like a weekly fic chapter post.

It seemed to lose a bit of the plot, and though it was a sweet romance, it just became dull toward the end as it continuously felt already wrapped up, romance wise, so the dramatic parts just steered into a YA vibe, which is a bit odd to read with adult content. I was especially losing my interest at Theo's epilogue. It was so out of place, and recapped so much of the book.

Overall, this novel needed heavy editing to tighten the story, but it was still cute, especially the beginning as they fell in love, but then it just scrambles to figure out ideas to fill the pages which really dulled my interest.